What An Inside Sales Manager At Integrated DNA Technologies Wishes They Had Known Before Entering The Biotech Industry
Austin wishes someone had explained that sales in biotech is "consultative sales" rather than traditional car-salesman tactics, emphasizing one-on-one relationship building with intelligent scientists and leveraging one's expertise to apply company offerings to individual needs; they highlight opportunities for those with science backgrounds who enjoy communicating, whether in sales roles or as field application scientists, bridging the gap between technical knowledge and interpersonal skills.
Consultative Sales, Biotech Industry, Technical Sales, Relationship Building, Field Application Science
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Austin Jacobs
Inside Sales Manager, North America
Integrated DNA Technologies
University of San Diego
Finance, Marketing
Biotechnology & Pharmaceutical
Sales and Client Management
Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient
Video Highlights
1. Biotech sales is consultative, requiring expertise on products and their applications, not just aggressive selling.
2. Sales involves tailoring a company's message to individual clients, focusing on one-to-one relationship building.
3. Science graduates who enjoy interacting with people can explore technical sales or field application scientist roles, bridging science and communication.
Transcript
What have you learned about this role that you wish someone would have told you before you entered the industry?
I wish I knew that sales, especially in biotech, isn't the car salesman type of sales some people imagine. It's truly consultative. You're brought on as an expert on your company's products and how they can apply to an individual's work or company.
At the end of the day, I speak with scientists, and they're smart. They know if something will work or not. They can sense if something's off, so trying to sell them an upgrade on something that doesn't work isn't viable. Your reputation is on the line if it doesn't work.
If I had known it was more about consultative sales, I think I would have pursued sales earlier in my career. I really enjoyed marketing because it was about storytelling and the big picture. My type of marketing focused on how a company could help move an industry forward, which was exciting.
Marketing is a one-to-many conversation where you spread your message to many people. Sales, on the other hand, is a one-to-one conversation. It's about taking that message and applying it to an individual company or person's work. I didn't fully understand that.
I'm a people person; I like talking to people. If I knew it involved sitting down one-on-one and building relationships from a sales standpoint, talking with smart people doing cool things about science, even if it was slightly above my direct scientific knowledge, I think I would have jumped into sales earlier.
For those with a science background, like a biology or chemistry major, who don't want to be a bench scientist but like talking to people, there are many technical sales jobs. You're still involved in science talk, but on the sales side.
There's a definite need for people who are technical yet relatable and can converse with individuals. This applies to sales reps and also to a crossover field called Field Application Scientists. These individuals are dedicated scientists and true experts who can talk science to scientists.
This goes above my head, but I can bring in the right people. If you have the technical skills and like the science, but don't want to be in a lab all day, the biotech world on the commercial side could be impactful. Whether that's sales, marketing if you prefer storytelling, or Field Application Scientist, these roles are often overlooked.